Freshwater Drum Aplodinotus grunniens

Family Drums (Sciaenidae)

Drum Fish are common throughout much of the Mississippi River watershed and several great lakes including Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, and Lake Michigan.

Drum fish species have been either intentionally or accidentally introduced to Lake Superior along with: Atlantic salmon, brown trout, carp, chinook salmon, coho salmon, freshwater drum, pink salmon, rainbow smelt, rainbow trout, round goby, ruffe, sea lamprey and white perch.

Young black drum are often mistaken for sheepshead due to their black and silver stripes, but they generally grow out of this as they reach maturity and adopt a more even silver-gray color. The coloration of both fish is black and white but sheepshead are white with black stripes and black drum are gray with dark bars.

Mature Male Drums make a grunting noise that comes from a special set of muscles within the body cavity that vibrate against a swim bladder.
Drum meat is not flaky it is tougher and solid, not considered a clean fish.

Health : Local waters have PCBs, dioxin, mercury, PFOS, and other chemicals that can be found in fish and stay in our environment for a very long time.

Be aware of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services - The Eat Safe Fish Guide (ESF Guide)

Wisconsin has the a health guide for eating fish in Wisconsin - Choose Wisely Contaminate Advisories for Wisconsin